Favre to Vikings Could Mean Trouble For Green Bay

For the second consecutive offseason, Brett Favre has retired. For the second consecutive offseason, Favre has toyed with coming back.

And for the second consecutive offseason, fans roll their eyes while the media covers Favre more often then Tom Brady poses for cologne ads.

It’s understandable; the guy is not only a future hall of famer but also arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. With a list of records that would make Michael Phelps jealous, the down-to-earth Favre is a celebrity in the media eye — whether he likes it or not.

Packers fans especially came to accept all of this when a bawling Favre retired and then returned, only to see him shipped off weeks later to the Jets in the media-fused Big Apple itself.

But Cheese-Heads could deal with that. They had said their goodbyes and prepared to move on with Aaron Rogers. Besides, the Jets were in a completely different conference.

But this time around, things could get a bit more personal.

You see, all the legends have their connections. Jordan and Chicago, Ruth and New York, Gretzky and Edmonton. Woods and any golf course known to man.

Reports have been circulating for weeks over the strong possibility of Favre going to the Vikings — Green Bay’s division rival in the NFC North — if he makes another comeback. While Vikes’ head coach Brad Childress admitted yesterday that he and Favre have not been in contact for several weeks, most talks have been stalled between the two parties by Favre testing the torn biceps in his shoulder out to see if he could go another season.

But really? An injury preventing Favre from playing football? That’s like Eddie Murphy turning down a crappy comedy because he said the script was bad.

The bottom line is, if Favre feels he physically can play (which 17 consecutive seasons without a missed start indicates he will), and the emotional attachment to football is still there (See: last season retirement trial), then one of the first teams Favre could go to is the Vikings.

And if that happens, Packers fans could have a serious problem.

In case you haven’t noticed, Favre is the man in that town. He reigns over his kingdom more than King James in Cleveland and Prince Albert in St. Louis. Wherever Favre goes in Green Bay, it’s free. He’s their pride and joy. He’s their legend, and rightfully so.

But after overcoming last season’s circus that led to the great Favre becoming “Brett the Jet,” would Cheese Heads be able to handle Favre playing actually against his beloved city twice a year? “Brett the Viking” doesn’t exactly have the same ring to it.

Athletes sign with their former team’s arch rival pretty often… and it usually has pretty bitter results. Outfielders Johnny Damon and Jim Edmonds went from the Red Sox and Cardinals to those teams’ arch rivals, the Yankees and Cubs. Both were not only fan favorites in Boston and St. Louis, but also helped lead their respective teams to World Series Championships. And now, they’ve been completely forgotten and/or despised.

In Favre’s case, it could be even worse. Football is on a much grander scale, and Favre’s status of NFL legend vastly overshadows those previous examples. We’re talking even more heartbreak among Packer Nation; a disconnect with the man that brought the football-crazed town so much joy over all those seasons.

Maybe you’re thinking this is too much. Maybe I am blowing this out of proportion. But you heard it here that Favre should just stay retired. As great as it was to see an encore season from him last year, it just wasn’t the same in that different shade of green, and Favre finally showed signs of aging when he wore out down the stretch and the Jets missed the playoffs.

This isn’t to go without saying that a healthy and revitalized Favre could help the Vikings, who are still weak at the quarterback position.

But to go through all the trouble again (and then some) begs one to ask: would it all be worth it? Not only for Favre, but for the fans as well?

Only Favre can answer that question. And until he does, we’ll all be wondering another: